This invention relates to plumbing repair and maintenance tools and more particularly to a tool which may be used to remove a faucet handle as well as a flow control cartridge housed within the faucet.
Conventional faucets typically employ either a drop-in or a screw-in flow control cartridge which is coupled with the faucet handle for regulating water flow. The drop-in cartridge is generally known as a washerless cartridge and is maintained in place within the faucet by a separate threaded retaining ring or cap nut which screws onto an externally threaded faucet housing. The screw-in cartridge is similar to the drop-in cartridge but is externally threaded and is coupled with an internally threaded faucet housing.
When a leak or other problem develops with a faucet, the faucet handle must be removed in order to provide access to the flow control cartridge. Removal of the handle can be extremely difficult to accomplish because corrosion and the deposit of minerals from the water tends to cement the handle to the stem to which it is attached. When this occurs, attempts to remove the handle by prying with a screwdriver or other implement nearly always results in damage to the faucet, the handle or the stem of the cartridge. These items must then be replaced at a significant expense to keep the fixture in use.
When a faucet develops a leak, the cartridge is typically removed and discarded during the repair procedure. The source of a leaking faucet can often be traced to the failure of one or more o-rings which are coupled with the cartridge for maintaining a water-tight seal within the faucet housing. These rings are a relative inexpensive item which are easily replaced and it is desirable that they be renewed rather than the entire cartridge replaced. However, a drop-in cartridge can be difficult to remove from its housing after is has been used over a period of time and removal usually damages the cartridge. The cartridge must then be discarded even though it might otherwise be reused by simply renewing the o-rings.